Class 

Book A3 

GopyrightW 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



THE TABLE 

AND HOW TO DECORATE IT 




iv 



THE T A B L E 

AND HOW TO 
DECORATE IT 



BY 

MARY WHIPPLE ALEXANDER 

n 



ILL US T R A TED 




D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
NEW YORK ..... MCMIV 



T\m Unities Rpreived 

OCT 7 1304 

<7 ftooyrteht Entry 
CLASS ^XXc. No. 
COPY B 



Copyright, 1904, by 
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 



Published October, 190k 



PREFACE 



A STORY has been told me to the effect that 
one of the most successful makers of 
magazines in this country, when asked if he knew 
the real secret of the popularity of his periodical, 
answered that he only tried all the while to print 
a magazine to suit himself, and that in suiting 
himself he found that he pleased thousands of 
other people who had about the same tastes. 
This story seems to apply to the making of this 
little book — my first. It has long been my wish 
to have in convenient form some ideas about the 
table which have been available only after a 
search here and there and somewhere else, and 
now it is my hope to find that there are many 
other women with tastes so much like my own 
that they will be glad to possess this book for 
ready and frequent reference. 

There comes into almost every woman's life 
the desire to make her table look especially at- 

vii 



THE TABLE 

tractive when guests are expected. It is to meet 
the needs of such times that this book is mod- 
estly offered. Figuratively speaking, it has been 
my privilege to go into my neighbors' gardens 
and pluck flowers freely; so if there be any merit 
in this work, let it be understood that the author 
does not pretend to be entitled to the credit, but 
asks rather that it shall be bestowed upon those 
whose ideas she has brought together in combi- 
nation with her own. 

There are many women, having the desire to 
entertain, who hesitate when they consider the 
trouble or the expense involved. Trouble can 
not well be eliminated, if the planning and a good 
part of the actual work be called by that name; 
for much personal supervision by the hostess is 
demanded in entertaining according to modern 
ideas of hospitality, even if the household in- 
clude several servants. But the spirit in which 
a woman undertakes and carries out her hos- 
pitable intentions in honor of a special guest or 
for some holiday celebration makes the work ap- 

viii 



PREFACE 

pear light or hard, as she herself may determine. 
We all know those among our friends who; if 
they have taken any extra pains for our benefit, 
make us forget instantly all about the matter 
in the cordial reception they give us. The 
prettily-set table and the well-selected and well- 
served repast we accept as a compliment gladly 
paid to our presence. Such women usually pos- 
sess good ideas of their own; but to those who 
lack originality, yet who wish to entertain, and 
are seeking new ideas, many of the following 
suggestions may be welcome. 

As for expense, careful planning and the 
adaptation of inexpensive materials to secure 
certain effects often will curtail the cost in a 
marked degree. Simplicity is always in good 
taste, and many of the ideas here presented, 
although of the simplest order, produce some of 
the prettiest results. 

Except in a few cases no attempt has been 
made to suggest bills of fare or give recipes. 
These matters have been left to the discretion 
of the hostess. Even if the luncheon or dinner 

ix 



THE TABLE 

is to be simple, let just as much thought and 
care be expended on each detail as if it were to 
be an elaborate affair. Let the cooking and 
serving be as nearly perfect as possible. Let 
there be no failure to have the hot dishes served 
hot, not lukewarm; and when cold dishes, as a 
salad, are served, have the plates well chilled. It 
is such little things as these that go far to make 
an entertainment delightful. 

A word or two as to the table and its appoint- 
ments may not be out of place. The table itself 
may be round, square, or oval; fashion is some- 
times more in favor of one shape than another. 
The round table is, perhaps, the most attractive 
and lends itself better to the promotion of gen- 
eral conversation. Many people have made for 
them by carpenters round tops that can be used 
over their square tables. 

For luncheons a beautifully polished table is 
prettier uncovered, save for the lace, drawn- 
work, or other doilies which are used under the 
plates, butter-plates, and glasses. A center- 

x 



PREFACE 

piece corresponding to the doilies is placed un- 
der the flowers that usually form the principal 
decoration of the table. 

For dinners the table is first covered with a 
thick cotton or flannel cloth, over which the 
white table-cloth lies smoothly, with no crease 
except directly through the center. 

Starched table-linen is not used. The napkins, 
larger for dinner than for luncheon, should, if 
possible, match the cloth in design. In the pur- 
chase of table-linen, as in the case of many other 
things, the best that the purse can afford is the 
most economical in the end; but whatever the 
quality, let the linen be immaculate. 

At a formal luncheon or dinner everything is 
served a la russe; that is, it is passed by the at- 
tendant. In that case the centerpiece of flowers, 
the candlesticks, and possibly some bonbon 
dishes occupy the central part of the table. The 
guests' places are set with the necessary silver 
for each course, napkin, glasses, and, if for a 
luncheon, bread-and-butter plates. Flowers 
should be arranged in such a way that they 

xi 



THE TABLE 



will not form a screen between guests on oppo- 
site sides of the table. 

If candles be used for lighting the table there 
should be enough to light the whole room. Cel- 
luloid candle-holders are now very generally 
used. The real candle is inside, and a spiral 
spring pushes it up as it burns. These candle- 
holders require but little care, and are free from 
the disagreeable dripping of wax. When 
adorned with colored shades they closely resem- 
ble the real candles. 

Many of the suggestions and all the illustra- 
tions used in the making of this little book were 
taken from The Ladies' Home Journal, by 
courtesy of the editor, Mr. Edward Bok. Ac- 
knowledgment is due also to Hester Price, Mary 
McKim Marriott, Blanche A. Ziebler, Miss H. A. 
Floyd, and to some unknown contributors to the 
magazine mentioned. 

Mary Whipple Alexander. 



xii 



CONTENTS 



I. ENTERTAINMENTS IN WINTER 

New Year Tables — Saint Valentine's Day Receptions and Lunch- 
eons — An Idea for Washington's Birthday — Winter Reunions 
— Foreign Suppers — An Attic Party — Conundrums in a New 
Form — A Progressive Dinner — Table Decorations when 
Flowers are Scarce. Pages i — 22 

II. EASTER AND SPRING-TIME 

Some Pretty and Novel Ideas for Easter Luncheon-tables — A 
Saint Patrick's Day Luncheon — Appropriate Uses of Spring 
Flowers — May Day Tables — Apple Blossoms and Butter- 
cups — A Fishermen's Dinner. Pages 23 — 54 

III. WHEN THE DAYS ARE WARM 

Some Ways to Use Daisies — Sweet Peas and Roses — Water-lilies 
to Suggest Coolness — Ideas for Independence Day — To Please 
the Little Patriots — In the Hot Midsummer Days — A Rustic 
Effect for a Porch Luncheon — A Consolation Luncheon for 
Stay-at-homes. Pages 55 — 84 

IV. HARVEST-TIME AND HALLOWE'EN 

A Sunflower Luncheon — Decorative Uses of Morning-glories — 
Two Pansy Luncheons — How Grapes and Grape Leaves may 
be Used — Novel Ideas for the Harvest Season, Hallowe'en, and 
Thanksgiving. Pages 85 — no 

xiii 



THE TABLE 



V. AT CHRISTMAS-TIDE 

Miniature Christmas Trees on the Dinner-table — Two Attract- 
ive Star Designs — Snowbank and Snowballs — Hoops of Holly 
and Arbor-vitae — A Cone of Oranges for a Centerpiece — 
Ideas for Children's Parties — A Group of Minor Suggestions. 
Pages in — 130 

VI. FOR THE BRIDE AND BRIDE-TO-BE 

A Stock Shower — Mystery and Fun — Bridesmaids' Luncheons — 
Wedding Breakfasts — Easter Weddings — Appropriate Decora- 
tions in Spring and Summer — An Engagement Dinner. 
Pages 131— 152 

VII. ANNIVERSARIES AND OTHER SPECIAL 
OCCASIONS 

Children's Parties — A Rose-bush Full of Surprises — Two More 
Ideas to Please Little Folk — Children's Christmas Tables — 
When a Seventieth Birthday is Celebrated — Crystal and 
Golden Weddings — A Pretty Table for Debutantes — A Fare- 
well Luncheon — When Golfers Make Merry. Pages 153 — 172 



VIII. WHERE FEASTING AND FUN GO 
TOGETHER 

Gift and Mystery Luncheons — Some Pretty Rainbow Effects — ■ 
Ideas Borrowed from the Japanese — " Personally Conducted 
Tours" — A Violet Luncheon and a Game with It — Super- 
stition and Sea Luncheons — Some Good Ways to Use Ferns 
and Electric Lights. Pages 173 — 195 



IX. PLACE CARDS 

Little Surprises that will Charm your Guests — Post Cards make 
Pretty Souvenirs — Ideas for Easter, Fourth of July, and 
Thanksgiving — How Maple and Clover Leaves may be Used 
— Christmas Suggestions. Pages 196 — 210 

xiv 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



PAGE 

Prepared for a Bridesmaids' Dinner .... Frontispiece ' y 

A Valentine Luncheon xvii 

For a New Year Dinner 5 ^ 

A Red Effect for a Winter Dinner ........ 9 / 

Heart-shaped Table for St. Valentine's Day 13 > 

A Pink and Silver Valentine Luncheon 17 

On Washington's Birthday 21 

An Easter-tide Luncheon 27 

Fleurs-de-Lis, Narcissuses and Pansies 31 

A Luncheon in Spring 35 

An Easter Party for Children 39 

A May Day Table 45 

Buttercups for a Yellow Effect 51 

In the Season of Strawberries and Daisies 59 

A Daisy Chain Idea 63 

Decorated with Sweet Peas 67 

A Suggestion from " Lohengrin" — for Music Lovers . 71 

Water-lilies for a Cool Effect 75 

A Luncheon on the Porch 79 

For those who are Fond of Fishing ........ 83 

Sunflower Luncheon Late in the Summer 89 

W T hat may be Done with Grapes and Grape Leaves . . 93 

A Harvest-time Luncheon 97 

A Cone of Oranges for a Centerpiece 10 1 

A Centerpiece of Holly to Conceal Little Gifts .... 105 

A Tasteful Way to Use Arbor-vitae 109 

XV 



THE TABLE 

PAGE 

Christmas Bells of Evergreen and Holly 115 

A Winter Scene in Miniature 119 

A Simple but Pretty Yule-tide Idea 123 

A Christmas Stocking for Each One 127 

A Combination of Fragrance and Beauty 135 

Wisteria Blossoms for a Spring Wedding 139 

An Easter-time Wedding Table . 143 

A Wedding Table in Green and White 147 

Ready for a June Bride 151 

A Suggestion for an Engagement Dinner 157 

" Four-and-twenty Blackbirds" 161 

W r hen One has Reached Three-score Years and Ten . . 165 
A Farewell Luncheon ............ 169 

A Star of Pine Cones . . . . 177 

With Stars and Bells and Candles „ 181 

Japanese Decorations for a Little Folks' Party .... 185 

A Pretty Arrangement of Lilies 189 

For a Christmas Party for Children 201 

Snowbank and Snowballs 205 



xvi 




2 



XVII 



I 

ENTKRTAINMENTS IN WINTER 



ENTERTAINMENTS IN WINTER 



New Year Tables — Saint Valentine's Day Receptions and 
Luncheons — An Idea f or Washington's Birthday — Winter 
Reunions — Foreign Suppers — An Attic Party — Conun- 
drums in a New Form — A Progressive Dinner — Table 
Decorations when Flowers Are Scarce. 

\ STAR made of the brilliant red poinsettia 



^ forms a most attractive center decoration 
for a New Year's Day table. In the middle of 
the star place a tall candlestick with a long white 
candle for the new year. Each point of the star 
should be marked by a low candlestick holding 
a shorter white candle. At the left of each plate 
have a spray of poinsettia. 

A pretty way to serve ice-cream at this dinner 
would be to have it moulded in the form of a 
candle and candlestick, the candle to be of 
vanilla cream — white ; the candlestick of pistachio 
— green. A tiny wax taper may be inserted in 




THE TABLE 



the top of each " candle " and lighted just as all 
are brought in. 

Another pretty winter-table decoration, in 
which poinsettia figures, is this : A cut-glass vase 
in the center is filled with the red blossoms and 
the white paper candle-shades have poinsettia 
leaves painted on them. Four pieces of scarlet 
ribbon start from each corner of the table. They 
are rippled a little, and end in a large flat bow 
near the center of the table. 

FOR SAINT VALENTINE'S DAY 

For a reception on St. Valentine's day a 
heart-shaped table, made of thin boards screwed 
to a kitchen table, will give a remarkably pretty 
effect. Around the white cloth have festoons of 
hearts cut from red cardboard and strung on red 
baby ribbon. The candles and shades also 
should be red. To each candle-shade there 
should be tied a heart-shaped shield made of red 
paper carnations, each shield being pierced with 
an arrow made of silver cardboard. The center- 

4 




5 



THE TABLE 



piece should be formed of a flat heart of red car- 
nations. For bonbons, red and white hearts will 
provide the finishing touch. 

Here is something different for a Valentine 
luncheon : Have the centerpiece made of two 
rolls of scarlet crepe paper arranged in a sun- 
burst effect, with the paper rippled at the edges. 
A plate covered with the crepe paper should be 
turned down upon the inner edges of the sun- 
burst to keep it in place, and a large crystal bowl 
containing white carnations and ferns should be 
placed upon this plate. For favors, provide boxes 
on which hearts cut from scarlet cardboard have 
been neatly pasted. Have one heart for the 
name, another for the date, and still another for 
a sentiment appropriate to the day. 

A heart-shaped basket of pink tulle, filled with 
pink roses, and resting upon a mat of ferns, 
forms a striking centerpiece for another Valen- 
tine luncheon-table. . Tied to the handle of the 
basket there should be a wide bow of pink tulle 

7 



THE TABLE 

decorated with hearts cut from silver cardboard. 
Silver candlesticks holding pink candles should 
be capped with shades of silver cardboard. For 
favors, have bouquets of paper roses done up in 
lace paper handkerchiefs, with streamers of pink 
ribbon to which tiny silver hearts are attached. 

ON WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY 

For a Washington's Birthday dinner have the 
table divided into three oblong spaces by two 
bands of crepe paper in the national colors. For 
a centerpiece line a lace doily with red silk and 
place on it a blue jardiniere holding a little tree 
decorated with red candy cherries. Have the 
candle-shades of red crepe paper decorated with 
paper cherry blossoms. For place cards, have 
small pasteboard hatchets that can be opened and 
filled with candy. At each guest's place have a 
picture of Washington. 

PLEASANT REMINDERS OF VACATION 

Reunion of friends who have spent a part of 
the preceding summer together are among the 

8 




9 



THE TABLE 



pleasantest forms of midwinter festivities. To 
those who have been camping together in the 
mountains, the following idea for decorating the 
dinner-table is suggested : 

In the center of the table have a " camp-fire." 
Make this of silvery birch logs about a foot long. 
Bore holes in the logs large enough to hold 
candles, which, when lighted, will make a rea- 
sonably realistic picture. At each end of the 
table a short log, set up on end, with a hole bored 
into it, should hold another candle. In front of 
each plate have a small tent of cardboard, three 
inches long and two inches high, and mounted 
on a green card. Fill the tents with candy, and 
from the top of each have a little flag floating, 
bearing the guest's name. 

FOREIGN SUPPERS 

For a series of winter entertainments among 
congenial friends, foreign suppers furnish a nov- 
elty and easily may be made amusing and in- 
structive. Scotch, Irish, and German suppers 
would be greatly enjoyed. At the Scotch sup- 

1 1 



THE TABLE 

per, for example, the centerpiece should be em- 
broidered in thistles and on it should rest a pot 
of heather in bloom. At each place a tiny Scotch 
thistle may be tied with plaid ribbon. Of course, 
the bill of fare should be made up of as many 
Scotch dishes as possible. At the Irish supper 
the decorations should be white and green. A 
clump of shamrocks in a pot would form a 
pretty centerpiece, and a tiny shamrock plant in 
a pot should mark each place, if possible. Tied 
to the pots by bright green ribbons have the 
name cards, bearing a cordial greeting. At the 
German supper the floral decorations may be 
bachelor-buttons, the nearest approach to the 
German blumen. 

The national colors should form a prominent 
part of the decorations in the dining-room on 
each occasion. 

Other countries besides those named may be 
chosen. Roses for England, lilies for France, 
and cherry blossoms or chrysanthemums for 
Japan, suggest possibilities in the way of appro- 
priate decorations. 

12 




13 



THE TABLE 



A FEAST IN THE ATTIC 
An attic party offers a chance for something- 
original in the way of entertainments. Although 
the whole lower floor of the house should be 
thrown open for reception purposes, the supper 
should be served in the attic, which should be 
decorated with red bunting, Japanese lanterns, 
potted plants, vines, and evergreens. Arrange 
small tables in a sort of circle around the chim- 
ney, if it happen to be in the middle of the room. 

CONUNDRUMS IN A NEW FORM 

" Nuts to Crack " is the name of an ingenious 
winter luncheon entertainment. English walnuts 
are cracked and the meats removed, leaving the 
shells whole. Then, on thin paper, conundrums 
are written, one for each guest, with answers 
that permit of amusing illustrations. 

For example, one question may be: " What is 
it that looks higher and handsomer with the 
head off? " — the answer being " A pillow." For 
this have a doll's pillow. Another question, 
" When is a lady's arm not a lady's arm? " may 



THE TABLE 



be answered thus: " When it is a little bare." 
A little bear cut from an advertisement and 
mounted on stiff cardboard may be used in this 
case. " Where is happiness always to be 
found? " is still another good conundrum, as the 
answer, " In the dictionary/ 1 may be illustrated 
by a pocket edition of Worcester. 

Other questions doubtless will be thought of, 
until the required number is selected. Then the 
walnut shells, with the questions inside, are to 
be tied up with baby ribbon and placed beside 
the different plates, and the articles answering 
the conundrums are to be fastened to the other 
ends of the ribbon, which should extend to the 
center of the table and be hidden by the floral 
decorations. 

When the guests are seated the hostess will 
bid them open the nuts and guess the conun- 
drums if they can. At the end of the luncheon 
the solutions are to be read. Much merriment 
will be created as each guest pulls her ribbon and 
draws forth the object which gives a clue to the 
answer to her conundrum. 



THE TABLE 

A PROGRESSIVE DINNER 
During the visit of a friend in the winter, a 
pleasant way to introduce her to your particular 
set is to give a progressive dinner. This affords 
a good opportunity for the stranger to become 
acquainted. Invite an equal number of ladies and 
gentlemen. The menu cards are distributed as 
the guests arrive, the courses being written on 
the left-hand side of a double card, while the 
right-hand side is left blank. Have as many 
courses as the number of gentlemen invited. 
Each man must proceed to engage a partner for 
the soup, fish, entree, and so on, until a different 
lady is secured for each course. After the cards 
are filled the guests all go to the dining-room, 
each one with the chosen first partner. At the 
end of the first course each gentleman rises, takes 
his napkin and seeks his next partner. 

SUBSTITUTES FOR FLOWERS 
When flowers are scarce utilize an aquarium 
of the small bowl shape, if there be one in the 
house. Place it on a mirror in the center of the 
table and scatter a few graceful sprays of pine 

19 



THE TABLE 

over the cloth for the necessary bit of green. If 
one happen to live near a piece of woodland, beau- 
tiful decorations may be gathered there. Prin- 
cess pine, laurel, cones, and the many varieties 
of moss and other shrubbery may be used so 
tastefully that flowers will not be missed. 

In the sunny South a pretty winter table deco- 
ration may be arranged by using short branches 
of cedar intermingled with half-open cotton bolls. 

Sprays of English ivy, cut in the fall and kept 
in water, will form a pretty green centerpiece all 
the winter. The water should be changed when 
necessary. When spring comes you will find 
your ivy rooted and ready to be planted outdoors. 

For another table decoration in winter fill a 
fern dish or any shallow dish with wet moss. 
Sow canary-seed over the moss and put the dish 
in a dark closet for a week or two. When the 
seed has grown about two inches the dish may be 
brought out to a sunny window. It may be used 
for the center of the dining-table for many weeks, 
if it be placed in the sunshine between whiles, 
and the moss be kept moist. 

20 




21 



II 

EASTER AND SPRINGTIME 



II 



EASTER AND SPRINGTIME 

Some Pretty and Novel Ideas for Easter Luncheon-tables— 
A Saint Patrick's Day Luncheon — Appropriate Uses of 
Spring Flowers — May Day Tables — Apple Blossoms and 
Buttercups — A Fishermen's Dinner. 

A PRETTY Easter luncheon-table may have 
for its centerpiece a small fruit-stand cov- 
ered with moss and twigs to represent a nest. 
This should be filled with eggs placed upon a bed 
of moss and ferns. Around the nest there should 
be four large rabbit bonbonnieres. Pieces of baby 
ribbon of all colors should be fastened to the fore- 
paws of the rabbits and run out to the space be- 
tween the guests' places, each ribbon being strung 
with eggs that have been blown out in the usual 
way. Between the large rabbits smaller ones may 
peer out from under the nest. At each guest's 
place there should be a small rabbit sitting up 
and holding a nest filled with candies. Around 

25 



THE TABLE 



its neck have a ribbon to which is attached a tiny 
card bearing the guest's name. The large rabbits 
should be fastened to the central nest, to prevent 
the weight of the eggs on the ribbons from over- 
turning them. 

This idea may be prettily carried out for a 
children's party at Easter-time. 

Another idea for a luncheon during the Easter 
season is to have an oval basket filled with cro- 
cuses of all colors. Standing guard over it have 
two papier-mache rabbits. At each end of the 
table have smaller baskets filled with crocuses. 
A single crocus, tied to a card bearing the guest's 
name, is laid at each place. For the latter pur- 
pose use different-colored flowers and tie each 
card with a ribbon of the same color as that of 
the crocus used. 

Still another Easter table with the bunny as 
a factor in its decoration may have for its center- 
piece a low bowl filled with golden daffodils. 
Hide the bowl by white papier-mache rabbits 

26 




27 



THE TABLE 

arranged to face the guests, their backs being 
close against the bowl. Tie a yellow ribbon 
around each bunny's neck, having a bow of long 
loops at the back. When the rabbits are bunched 
together the effect will be that of a large rosette, 
with the flowers resting on it and the rabbits sup- 
porting the whole. 

HOW TULIPS AND LILIES-OF-THE- VALLEY 
MAY BE USED 

Green and white vie with yellow as the favorite 
colors for decorations in the Easter season, and 
may be used effectively in this way : Over an 
immaculate cloth of white stretch two pieces of 
green satin ribbon, letting them cross each other 
in the center of the table. From the chandelier 
over the table suspend the floral centerpiece. This 
may consist of any number of strands of green 
satin baby ribbon of various lengths, a spray of" 
lilies-of-the- valley being fastened to the end of 
each one. The prettiest possible result is obtained 
by having the longest strands in the center and so 
grading the others that a sort of pyramidal effect 
is produced. 

29 



THE TABLE 



Pots of growing tulips make a beautiful center- 
piece for the Easter season or for any spring 
table. The pots may be concealed by crepe paper. 
For a striking color scheme have a pot of red 
tulips in the center of the table; the place cards 
to be eggs that have been blown out and colored 
red, with the names of the guests written on them 
in gilt, and bows of red baby ribbon tied at each 
end. 

A DAINTY EASTER SOUVENIR 

A pretty souvenir for each guest at an Easter 
luncheon would be an Easter hat in miniature. 
The hats could be fashioned out of bits of fancy 
straw, ribbon, lace, and flowers, or of crepe paper. 
The expense for several of these little hats would 
be trifling. White boxes of all shapes and sizes 
to fit the various hats could be bought at a small 
cost. The little hats should first be wrapped in 
tissue-paper and then placed in the boxes, just as 
hats are done up at a fashionable milliner's. All 
the boxes except the bride-elect's — if there hap- 
pen to be one in the party — should be tied with 
narrow yellow ribbon, while hers should be tied 

30 




4 



3i 



THE TABLE 



with white; and instead of a hat she should find 
between the folds of white tissue-paper in her 
especial box a dainty wedding veil with a tiny 
spray of orange blossoms attached to it. The 
guests would surely treasure these pretty sou- 
venirs of an Easter luncheon. 

WHEN COLORED EGGS TAKE THE PLACE 
OF FLOWERS 

The economical woman must often forego the 
expense of flowers for her table decorations at 
Easter. Instead of the usual floral centerpiece 
she may use a fancy basket filled with gilt egg- 
shells, from the broken tops of which peep out 
tiny chickens. It requires only a little care and 
patience to shape the chickens out of yellow cot- 
ton, using beads for eyes. Any girl can gild 
the egg-shells. Of course, only the heads of the 
chickens are visible, although the shells are 
stuffed with the cotton forming the bodies. Yel- 
low ribbons fastened to the basket in the center 
and reaching to the places of the respective 
guests, like spokes in a wheel, give a pretty efifect 

33 



THE TABLE 

to the table. If the basket have a handle the 
ribbons may be fastened to it, thus forming a 
cone-shaped canopy over the basket proper. If 
candles be used, they and their trimmings should 
be yellow, in keeping with the color scheme. 

A little yellow chick, perched on the handle 
of the coffee-cup, and fastened there with yellow 
ribbon, would make a pretty souvenir. 

Festoons of egg-shells draped from the light 
over the table to each corner, or in as many 
strands as one desires, are unusual for Easter 
dining-room decorations. After you have blown 
out the contents of the eggs, string the shells 
on either colored or white baby ribbon, keeping 
them about eight inches apart by tying under- 
neath each one a bow large enough to prevent it 
from slipping down to the next one. The place 
cards to accompany this table decoration may be 
made of blown shells with ribbons drawn through 
the centers and a small bow tied at each end. 
Each guest's name should be written across the 
center of the egg, in green and gold. 

34 



THE TABLE 



The centerpiece on an Easter table for children 
may consist of a large gilded egg bound with 
yellow ribbon and placed within a hedge of daffo- 
dils and ferns. Yellow ribbons should fall from 
the chandelier, ending with decorated Easter 
eggs, as shown on page 39. The souvenirs may 
be imitation yellow chicks. 

FESTIVITIES ON SAINT PATRICK'S DAY 
For a luncheon on St. Patrick's day the 
hostess needs but little assistance, for her color 
scheme and even her decorations are in a sense 
all settled for her. If one be a little tired of 
treating the day humorously, but still w r ish to 
abide by tradition in using green, a pretty effect 
may be obtained by laying on the polished table 
a centerpiece of drawn-work over green silk; 
smaller squares like the centerpiece to be used 
under the plates. On the centerpiece have a low 
glass bowl filled with white tulips and asparagus 
fern. Trailing sprays of the fern may extend 
over the table. Green candle-shades in the form 
of three shamrocks put together would be very 

37 



THE TABLE 



appropriate over white candles. The color scheme 
may be easily carried out in the bill of fare, from 
green pea bouillon to pistachio ice-cream served 
from a mould in the form of a big shamrock. 

WHEN THE PUSSY-WILLOW IS IN SEASON 
For a spring luncheon or dinner the pussy- 
willow makes an appropriate decoration. When 
it is combined with the scarlet blossoms of the 
Pyrus japonica or flowering quince, the blending 
of red and gray is especially charming. A large 
bowl of pussy-willow boughs and the flowering 
quince should occupy the center of the table, the 
bowl resting on a white Japanese drawn-work 
centerpiece placed over red silk. Petals of the 
quince blossoms may be scattered over the white 
cloth. 

If it be possible to get four little fairy lamps 
representing the heads of kittens, let them sur- 
round the centerpiece. The light shining through 
their glass eyes, and a big bow of red ribbon tied 
around each kitten's neck, will add greatly to the 
effect of this decoration. 

38 



« 

Q 

s 

U 

o 

H 

w 

H 

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THE TABLE 



The place cards may have attached to them 
little pussies made from pussy-willow buds; pen 
or paint-brush supplying heads, tails, paws, and 
backgrounds. For a girl's luncheon this idea 
would be sure to cause much merriment. 

HOW THE WILD FLOWERS HELP A 
HOSTESS 

Spring wild flowers make charming table deco- 
rations during their short season. When a 
woman lives in the vicinity of the woods and 
fields, no money can buy more beautiful decora- 
tions than those outside her door. Green mosses, 
a few roots of trilliums, spring beauties, blood- 
root, and delicate vines may be gathered and 
used in the following manner : 

Take an old tray, oblong in shape, turn it bot- 
tom side up, and place it in the center of the table. 
Drape the edges with the vines; then cover the 
tray with moss and stick the various wild flowers 
in it, as if they were growing in their native 
soil. 

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Magnolia blossoms imbedded in moss, which 
may cover a tray that has fallen into disuse, will 
make a beautiful centerpiece for a spring dinner- 
table. Around the bank have a border of wood 
ferns, which may extend out on the table-cloth. 

A light basket, with a handle, filled with moss 
and planted with wild white violets, makes an 
exquisite center decoration for a table. Tie to 
the handle a bow of soft white or light green 
ribbon. 

Another decoration from the woods for a 
spring luncheon may be formed of hepaticas, 
moss, and ferns. They may be arranged in a 
centerpiece for a round table, and suspended over 
the table there may be a spray of wood ferns 
combined with the blossoms, the whole being 
tied to the chandelier with white, pink, and green 
ribbons. Eight single silver candlesticks with 
green and pink shades may be used to outline a 
wide circle around the centerpiece. The place 
cards may be decorated with blossoms. 

42 



THE TABLE 



Feather-grass arranged with horse-chestnut 
blossoms makes another pretty and inexpensive 
decoration. Fill a bowl with moist sand to hold 
the stems. The feathery tips of the grass will 
veil the rather stiff blossoms of the horse-chestnut. 

FLEURS-DE-LIS, NARCISSUSES AND PANSIES 

Decorations of fleurs-de-lis and narcissuses 
combined are attractive for a spring dinner or 
luncheon. Here are two ways of arranging 
them : 

Have a round pan filled with moist sand and 
dispose pale lavender fleurs-de-lis and narcissuses 
in it. Place this pan in the center of the table and 
conceal the pan itself by means of yellow and 
pale purple pansies. 

Another way is to fill a glass bowl with moist 
sand and stick in a profusion of the poet's nar- 
cissus. The moist sand is better than water for 
such an arrangement, as the flowers will stand up 
firmly. Have at the corners of the table tall 
vases filled with water and holding fleurs-de-lis. 

43 



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A beautiful centerpiece for a spring luncheon 
is a large floral ball. The frame may be made of 
a piece of poultry netting bent crudely into the 
shape of a ball. Place a shallow bowl inside the 
netting before it is fastened in the desired shape. 
When the framework is set on the table the bowl 
may be filled with water and the stalks of jon- 
quils and narcissuses stuck in until the netting 
is entirely hidden by the flowers. 

A « RAINY-DAY" LUNCHEON 

For an April entertainment a " Rainy-day " 
luncheon is certainly an original idea. Set an 
old umbrella frame upright in a fernery and twist 
smilax around the frame and down each spoke. 
At the base of the fernery make a circle of vio- 
lets as large as the circumference of the umbrella. 
At the luncheon hour fasten and conceal a small 
lump of ice in the smilax at the end of each spoke, 
allowing it to melt and drip on the violets. This 
makes a pretty decoration, particularly if wild 
violets can be obtained and used profusely. 

44 




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THE TABLE 



IN THE LOVELY MONTH OF MAY 

For a May Day dinner for a debutante a unique 
and pretty idea is a May-pole party. For the 
centerpiece on the round table have a slender pole. 
Wind it with smilax and arbutus, and from the 
top stretch sixteen ribbons, alternately pink and 
white, to the circle of plates, letting them hang 
over the table. On each pink ribbon have the 
name of a lady present, and on each white ribbon 
that of a man. 

After the first course begin the " dance around 
the May-pole " as follows : Let all rise, the ladies 
taking their ribbons in their right hands, their 
napkins in their left, while the men take their 
ribbons in their left hands. They face their part- 
ners. The men then take the next seat but one 
to the right, the ladies passing under the men's 
ribbons. After the next course they progress 
again, the men moving to the right, the ladies to 
the left, and so on until each has had a different 
partner for each course and the ribbons are wound 
around the May-pole. 

5 47 



THE TABLE 

At the end of the dinner the guests all rise, 
gathering their ribbons; the men now move to 
the left, the ladies to the right, and to the music 
of an orchestra, engaged for the dance to follow, 
the ribbons are unwound. 

For a May Day dinner or luncheon no prettier 
or more appropriate flower can be used than the 
trailing arbutus, the fragrant " Mayflower " of 
New England. Instead of the usual centerpiece 
have a number of little bouquets of the flower, 
with its leaves, scattered over the table. Each 
bunch should be tied with narrow leaf-green 
ribbon. The flowers will stay fresh out of water, 
but should be kept moist until near the time for 
the dinner. 

The distinctive and decorative feature of a 
May Day luncheon-table may be the May-pole, 
from which fall ribbons of many colors, ending 
at dolls holding the place cards — the dolls ap- 
pearing as if about to weave the ribbons around 
the pole. The gaily dressed toys and the pretty 
ribbons give a most festive appearance to the table. 

4 8 



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The dolls, of course, are intended as souvenirs of 
the occasion. One dressed as a bride may be 
provided for the unmarried woman at the 
luncheon, if it should happen that there is to be 
only one. 

This idea may be used also for a children's 
party in May. For the boys some other small 
toys may be provided. The little girls would be 
delighted with the dolls. 

TWO APPLE-BLOSSOM LUNCHEONS 

For an apple-blossom luncheon the whole 
dining-room may be decorated with the lovely 
blossoms half open. Stick branches in glass 
bottles full of water, and fasten with wires to the 
backs of pictures. The sideboard and mantel 
may be covered with branches in tall vases and 
low bowls. In the center of the table have a vase 
filled with pure white cherry blossoms. If a lamp 
can be placed behind a screen at each end of the 
room the flowers on the walls will catch just the 
right light. Have candlesticks with white candles 

49 



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and white-and-silver shades — for the room should 
be darkened. 

Another idea for an apple-blossom luncheon 
would be to have a centerpiece of apple-green 
silk with apple blossoms scattered over it. In the 
middle have a tall crystal vase filled with branches 
of apple blossoms. The ice cream would be espe- 
cially pretty and tempting if served in the form of 
delicately tinted apples. 

COWSLIPS, BUTTERCUPS AND DAISIES 

Cowslips arranged with buttercups and daisies 
make a pretty decoration for a spring table. 
Tiny churns would be odd place cards, and the 
dessert may be in the form of frozen custard, 
simulating prints of butter. 

In a tin pan, three inches deep by seven wide, 
extending almost the whole length of the table, 
have a profusion of buttercups. A tall vase filled 
with buttercups should stand in the center of the 
pan. The candlesticks and candelabra should be 
of brass, if possible, and the candles yellow. 

50 



THE TABLE 



Crepe paper of the same color may be used to 
hide the pan and also for the candle-shades. 

Still another effective arrangement of butter- 
cups for a luncheon is suggested. In the center 
of the table arrange a circle of large rock ferns, 
and in the circle thus made place an inverted 
round pudding-dish, surrounding it with a large 
wreath of buttercups. Place the wreath so that 
half of each fern leaf will project beyond the 
buttercups. On the pudding-dish, the sides of 
which are hidden by the wreath, place a fern- 
dish full of growing ferns, and almost hidden 
among them a green glass vase filled with butter- 
cups and grasses. 

This same idea may be carried out by substi- 
tuting daisies for buttercups. 

AT A DINNER FOR THOSE WHO FISH 

For the disciples of Izaak Walton a dinner 
table may be thus decorated by a devoted fisher- 
man's wife : In the center of the table place a 
mirror surrounded by watercress, ferns and bits 

S3 



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of lichen-covered rocks. In the middle of a little 
" wooded island " on the mirror fasten a slender 
fishing-rod. Attach as many streamers of yellow 
ribbon to the rod as there are guests, and have 
one extend to each place; the end of the ribbon 
to be fastened to a small basket, for a souvenir. 



54 



Ill 

WHEN THE DAYS ARE WARM 



Ill 



WHEN THE DAYS ARE WARM 

Some Ways to Use Daisies — Sweet Peas and Roses — Water- 
lilies to Suggest Coolness — Ideas for Independence Day— 
To Please the Little Patriots — In the Hot Midsummer 
Days — A Rustic Effect for a Porch Luncheon — A Con- 
solation Luncheon for Stay-at-homes. 

IN the strawberry season nothing in the way of 
entertainment is prettier or more welcome than 
a strawberry luncheon. These two suggestions 
are offered as to a centerpiece for such an occa- 
sion : Either plant in a silver fern-holder two 
or three strawberry plants bearing blossoms as 
well as ripe fruit, or have a low basket of grace- 
ful shape lined with strawberry and blackberry 
blossoms and filled with strawberries. Trailing 
blackberry vines should stretch from the center- 
piece to the four corners of the table. Silver- 
tipped strawberry emeries, tied to a card with 
red baby ribbon, make pretty place cards and 
souvenirs. 

57 



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SOME WAYS TO USE DAISIES 

Strawberries and daisies will furnish the deco- 
rations for another pretty luncheon in June. 
The centerpiece and doilies may be of Mexican 
drawn-work. On the centerpiece set a French 
basket with a high handle, filled with field daisies 
and asparagus fern. A bunch of the flowers 
should be tied to the handle with a soft rose-pink 
taffeta ribbon, the ribbon to be carried to one 
end of the basket and tied in a smaller bow. The 
plate for each guest should hold a basket filled 
with choice unhulled strawberries. 

A daisy chain decoration will prove effective 
for a June dinner-table. A centerpiece of green 
linen embroidered in white should be used, if 
you possess one; and vases of green glass, filled 
with daisies, would be in harmony with this idea. 
Around the smaller vases arrange daisy chains, 
as shown in the illustration on page 63, 
uniting them to form a single garland to encircle 
the center vase. Mark the individual places with 
garlands of daisies, allowing them to fall over 

58 




59 



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the edge of the table. At the left-hand side of 
each garland tie a cluster of daisies with pale 
green ribbon. The guest's name may be written 
on the ribbon. 

A simple but tasteful form of decoration for 
a daisy luncheon may consist of a crystal vase 
in the center of the table, filled with daisies, and 
baskets of daisies at each corner. 

Ox-eyed daisies, which come later in the sum- 
mer, may be used effectively for a luncheon-table 
decoration. In the center of a round table, ar- 
ranged to seat eight people, place a mound of 
daisies and mountain ferns, and have a rope of 
daisies running from each plate to the center. 
The ends of the ropes may be hidden in the 
mound. 

SWEET PEAS AND ROSES 
For a dinner in early summer the following 
decoration for the table will be found beautiful : 
On a round table place a large circular mirror on 
a centerpiece of Battenberg lace. On the mirror 
set a cut-glass bowl filled with sweet peas of all 

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colors. Ten silver candlesticks, holding white 
candles and having shades matching the tints 
of the flowers, should surround the centerpiece. 
The plate doilies should match the lace center- 
piece. 

A beautiful decoration for a June dinner con- 
sists of crimson rambler roses — found in nearly 
all home gardens. A large green glass vase, 
filled with masses of roses, should be placed in 
the center of the table. From this, long sprays 
of the roses should be placed on the white cloth, 
like the spokes of a wheel ; the plates being laid 
between every two sprays. 

A novel idea for finger-bowls for a June din- 
ner may be easily carried out by placing a few 
pink rose petals in each bowl and a green rose 
leaf underneath. The surface of the leaf should 
be sprinkled with water and pressed firmly against 
the bowl. 

When white clematis is in bloom it makes a 
beautiful floral decoration for a summer dinner- 

62 




6 6 3 



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table. If the dinner be given in honor of a bride 
and bridegroom the clematis will afford the pretti- 
est kind of adornment. Sprays scattered over 
the table and wound about silver candlesticks, 
holding white candles, will give a charming 
bridal effect. 

WATER-LILIES TO SUGGEST COOLNESS 
For a warm day no cooler-looking flower can 
be suggested for decorating a luncheon-table 
than the water-lily. The table illustrated on page 
71 has for a centerpiece a white china swan, 
filled with ferns, resting upon a circular mirror 
surrounded by lilies. The crystal candlesticks 
hold white candles and have white shades deco- 
rated with paper water-lilies. For lovers of 
Wagner, this may be termed " a Lohengrin 
luncheon." 

Another water-lily decoration for a luncheon 
may be carried out on a square table. It is very 
simple in design. Upon a square lace center- 
piece arranged cornerwise is placed a circular 
table mirror. The mirror, which represents a 

65 



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pond, is studded with the water-lily blossoms and 
their leaves. In each finger-bowl floats a lily 
bud. Lace doilies are used at the guests' places. 

Still another water-lily luncheon is suggested : 
Here a square table is covered with a white cloth. 
In the center is an oval mirror, and upon its sur- 
face and surrounding it water-lilies are arranged 
as if growing there. Here and there among them 
are inserted candle-holders, resembling water- 
lilies, holding white candles. Over them are 
delicate paper shades designed to imitate the 
flowers. The guests' places are marked by single 
leaves, each bearing a water-lily. A picture of 
this table is given on page 189. 

IDEAS FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY 
For a Fourth of July table an effective center- 
piece may be made from an old toy drum. Re- 
move the head and, in a vase concealed within 
the drum, arrange red and white verbenas and 
blue larkspur, edged with laurel leaves. Around 
the drum at intervals have four miniature can- 
non banked in laurel leaves. Beside each gun 

66 




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pile smooth chocolate bonbons, to represent shot. 
At each guest's place have a small bouquet of the 
same flowers as those forming the centerpiece, 
tied with narrow red-white-and-blue ribbon. 
Small drums make pretty place cards, the names 
being written on the upper surfaces. The ices 
may be served in tiny pasteboard drums. 

Red geraniums, white clover, and blue lark- 
spur make a pretty floral centerpiece for a Fourth 
of July dinner. At each of the four corners of 
the table have a small American flag stuck in a 
potato so cut that it will stand firm. Cover 
the potatoes with red tissue-paper. From the 
flower centerpiece to each flag have streamers of 
red, white, and blue baby ribbons. 

TO PLEASE THE LITTLE PATRIOTS 
A Fourth of July table decoration that will 
delight the young people has a fort for a center- 
piece. This fort is made of a pasteboard box 
about a foot square, the cover being inverted and 
pasted on the box, so as to have an upstanding 
rim for the parapet. Cut openings in the 

6 9 



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parapet for cannon. Paste red-brick paper on 
the outside of the box. Stand little toy cannon 
at the embrasures, with piles of ammunition made 
of chocolates and " jaw-breakers/' An American 
flag, of course, waves from the top of the fort, 
and soldiers borrowed from the nursery, with the 
cannon, give an air of reality to the scene. 

For a children's Fourth of July party a large 
Jack Horner pie, covered with white crepe paper 
and decorated with red, white, and blue ribbons, 
will make a centerpiece satisfactory to all. In- 
side have small gifts suitable for the day : flags, 
toy cannon, little horns, etc. The ribbons at- 
tached to the articles also should be red, white, 
and blue. 

A pretty game to play in connection with the 
day is " Our Flag." At each child's place have 
a piece of cardboard on which a flag is painted, 
with the exception of the stars. Provide also 
for each child a little saucer containing silver 
stars, gummed on the back. Tell the children 
to decorate the flags with as many stars as our 

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flag contains. Have one pretty silk flag for a 
prize, or a number of small silk flags, if there 
should be several children who affix the correct 
number of stars — forty-five. 

IN THE HOT MIDSUMMER DAYS 

A centerpiece for a summer luncheon that will 
win admiration and lower the temperature of the 
room, is a large block of ice. In the middle of 
the ice a number of shining goldfish are seen 
swimming around. Nasturtium blossoms and 
their leaves cover the top of the ice and fall 
gracefully over the edge. The base of the block 
of ice, where it rests on a platter, also is covered 
with the same flowers. 

The secret of getting the fish in the ice may be 
told to the curious guests. An excavation is made 
in the block large enough to contain a finger-bowl 
of good size, but of very thin glass, and in this 
the fish are placed. 

For a luncheon or dinner given in hot weather 
the following idea is suggested: Let the North 
Pole be discovered on the table. In the center 

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of an uneven block of ice place a high pasteboard 
or tin tube covered with cotton batting thickly 
sprinkled with diamond-dust. Sprinkle the dust 
over the ice and also on the table-cloth around 
the block, to represent snow. Stand a white 
toy bear on the top of the pole with a sprig of 
evergreen in its mouth, and place several small 
sprigs at the base — all to be covered with dia- 
mond-dust. Trim the chandelier with dusted 
sprays of green to complete the arctic effect. 

A block of ice on a tray or platter, the latter 
concealed by vines or flowers, has already been 
suggested for a summer centerpiece. To make 
the idea more novel for a summer dinner, melt 
holes in the ice block just large enough to hold 
as many white candles as may be needed for light- 
ing the table. 

A RUSTIC EFFECT FOR A PORCH 
LUNCHEON 

An effective result is obtained where one pos- 
sesses a veranda which has for its setting over- 
hanging vines and tropical plants, by arranging a 

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75 



THE TABLE 



rustic luncheon-table as in the illustration shown 
on page 79. The table-cover of white grass 
linen, with an embroidered border of wild roses, 
is spread over pale green denim, and a birch-bark 
basket, with wild roses and ferns, forms the 
centerpiece. The small ferneries are birch-bark 
caldrons suspended from tripods of lichen-cov- 
ered twigs. A larger caldron filled with roses 
and ferns hangs from the roof. Place cards 
made of strips of birch bark, with the names of 
the guests and the date of the luncheon burnt upon 
them, are laid at each cover. They are attached 
by delicate green ribbons to graceful sprays of 
wild roses. 

A COUNTRY LUNCHEON 
Another pretty idea for a summer luncheon is 
to have it out-of-doors, under the trees. Call 
it " a country luncheon," and serve it on a plain 
deal table covered with a heavy damask cloth. A 
centerpiece, ecru in color, and embroidered in dull 
greens, makes an exceptionally pretty back- 
ground for a rose bowl filled with old-fashioned 

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flowers : larkspurs, marigolds, sweet-williams, 
and phlox; or, clover, daisies, and feathery 
grasses. As each guest arrives the hostess may 
give her a flower, a duplicate of which she will 
find at her place at the table. Any simple menu 
is suitable, but no imported delicacies should be 
used. 

TO TICKLE THE FANCY OF FISHERMEN 

For a fishermen's dinner the following sugges- 
tion may be appreciated : 

A piece of new fish-net thrown over a highly 
polished old-fashioned dining-room table is the 
main idea for the decoration. A birch-bark 
canoe filled with climbing nasturtiums forms the 
centerpiece. The table is further embellished by 
four brilliantly colored jugs containing nastur- 
tiums. Around the edge of the table small 
canoes, intended as souvenirs of the occasion, are 
moored to the center canoe by silk ropes. Each 
canoe is filled with delicate nasturtiums and bears 
upon its prow the name of the guest for whom 
it is intended. A picturesque old lantern, from 

78 




7 



79 



THE TABLE 



which the glass has been removed, filled with 
nasturtiums and arranged with vines, corks, etc., 
hangs over the center of the table. 

FOR THOSE WHO MUST STAY AT HOME 
IN SUMMER 

If you are obliged to stay in the city all sum- 
mer it is likely that you will be able to find some 
of your friends situated in the same way. " A 
consolation luncheon/' therefore, surely would be 
greatly appreciated; and in enjoying your hospi- 
tality hot-weather discomfort soon would be for- 
gotten. The hostess should wear a white gown, 
and white should be the prevailing color. The 
carpet may be covered with unbleached cotton. 
Over the dining-table boughs of foliage dipped 
in a solution of alum, which forms crystals on the 
leaves, would give a pretty and novel effect. A 
block of ice for a centerpiece, resting on a wide 
silver salver, would look cool and lower the 
temperature of the room. 

The menu should be simple and entirely cold. 
At the guests' places have, if you can possibly 

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get them from old newspapers, clippings of great 
frosts, blizzards, snow-storms, etc., neatly pasted 
upon white cards. They will be sure to cause 
much amusement. 

A TEA APPROPRIATE FOR A SUMMER 
AFTERNOON 

For an afternoon entertainment in summer try 
" a lemon tea." Receive the visitors on the porch, 
which may be prettily arranged for the occasion. 
On a table have a large bowl filled with lemonade. 
Place the bowl on a large tray, hiding all parts 
of the tray by sprays of ferns and irregular pieces 
of ice. Bank the ferns and ice around the bowl 
to resemble a rockery. Vases and jars may be 
filled with lemon-colored flowers, such as mari- 
golds, eschscholtzias, the wild " butter and eggs," 
and, if you can get it, the beautiful evening 
primrose. For refreshments, carry out the lemon 
color scheme as far as possible by serving, besides 
the lemonade, salmon salad in lemon cups, bread- 
and-butter sandwiches, lemon cake and lemon 
ices, which may be moulded in the shape of a 
lemon. 

82 




83 



IV 

HARVEST-TIME AND HALLOWE'EN 



IV 



HARVEST-TIME AND HALLOWE'EN 

A Sunflower Luncheon — Decorative Uses of Morning-glories 
— Two Pansy Luncheons — How Grapes and Grape Leaves 
May Be Used — -Novel Ideas for the Harvest Season, Hal- 
lowe'en, and Thanksgiving. 

AT the end of summer it is a pretty idea to 
give a sunflower luncheon. Have a large 
mound of sunflowers of the dwarf variety in the 
center of a round table. From this mound let 
yellow satin ribbons extend almost up to each 
plate, being rounded off to represent petals. 
Alternate petals should bear the names of the 
guests who are to occupy the places to which 
these point. At each place have natural sun- 
flowers of the larger variety. The seeds should 
be carefully removed, and the empty space, 
after being lined with paper, should be tilled with 
small chocolates. 

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THE TABLE 



DECORATIVE USES OF MORNING-GLORIES 

For decorations when flowers are becoming 
scarce, yet before the frost has entered the gar- 
den, morning-glory vines will prove effective. 
With the end in view of using the vines in the 
autumn for decorative purposes, the plants should 
be carefully trained on strings as soon as the first 
tendrils appear. Attach the strings to both the 
top and bottom of a fence, and, as the plants 
grow, train several on one string. When ready 
to use them in the house, cut the strings at each 
end. Do not do so until near the time they are 
to be used. Not only the table may be decorated 
with these beautiful garlands, but the dining- 
room itself may be transformed into a bower. 

There are many back-yard fences which might 
be made beautiful all summer with the growing 
vines; and the variety of morning-glory called 
ipomoea, the seed of which " Elizabeth/' of Ger- 
man garden fame, bought by the pound, has a 
beautifully shaped leaf, especially suitable for 
decorative use. 

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TWO PANSY LUNCHEONS 
A pansy luncheon is a pleasant affair for the 
early October days. Frost-tinted maple leaves 
make harmonious combinations with pansies, and 
small branches may adorn the dining-room and 
the chandelier. A pretty way to use the pansies 
for the table decoration is to have two long shal- 
low pans, arranging them lengthwise on the table. 
Fill them with moist sand and, by inserting pansy 
blossoms quite thickly, make them look like 
perfect beds of flowers. Tie around the outside 
of the pans silvery-green ribbon and maidenhair 
ferns. A pansy face, without the stem, resting 
on a small triangle of fern, may be placed at each 
plate. 

Another pretty and original way to decorate 
a table with pansies, when one has quantities of 
these flowers, is to place in the center of the table, 
upon a glass salver, an old-fashioned glass fruit 
bowl on a pedestal. Fill the fruit bowl and salver 
with wet sand and then set the pansies in it as 
thickly as possible. Around the outer edge of 

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THE TABLE 

the salver have a border of maidenhair fern. 
An oblong glass dish arranged in a similar 
manner may be placed at each end of the table. 
If little dishes of the same design be available 
they may be arranged in the same way. 

HOW GRAPES AND GRAPE LEAVES MAY BE 
USED 

Before we are finally driven indoors for our 
afternoon teas there are many fine days when 
an informal gathering on the porch may still be 
held. Unwilling to end our summer, we find 
that the sunshine of the autumn afternoons is 
especially beautiful. When one is receiving vis- 
itors on such days, grape juice may be served 
instead of tea. Use for this purpose a punch- 
bowl standing on a round table decorated with 
garlands of grape leaves, among which are seen 
clusters of white, purple, and amber fruit. 

Autumn-tinted grape leaves are so arranged in 
the center of the beautiful dinner-table illustrated 
on the opposite page as to represent a natural vine. 
Long branches run out toward the guests' seats, 



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where they terminate in place cards, painted to 
look like leaves. Clusters of Tokay grapes are 
placed here and there among the leaves, and 
really appear to be growing on the vine. 

Where wild grapes grow in abundance a beau- 
tiful table decoration may be made by using the 
vines, especially just after the frost has painted 
the foliage in autumn colors. Drape them from 
the chandelier to each corner of the table, and 
under the canopy which they make have a cen- 
terpiece made of a block of ice, with ferns frozen 
in it. 

NOVEL IDEAS FOR THE HARVEST SEASON 
A harvest-time luncheon may be made pic- 
turesque by following the idea outlined in the 
illustration on page 97. In the center of 
a round table, covered with a white damask 
cloth, place a soft straw-colored chip hat upon 
a large centerpiece embroidered in poppies. Fill 
the hat with scarlet poppies and wheat, and draw 
both sides of the brim upward, tying them to- 
gether with straw-colored taffeta ribbon. Have 



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the places at the table marked by miniature 
sheaves of wheat and poppies tied with ribbon, 
each one holding a tiny sickle, on the blade of 
which the name of the guest is written. 

Another idea for a luncheon at the harvest 
season is to have for a centerpiece on the table 
a small haystack. Concealed around the stack 
by loose straw have little inexpensive souvenirs, 
such as rakes, sickles, pitchforks, etc. ; also a 
silver tape-needle for the proverbial " needle 
in the haystack.'' Ribbons should be attached 
to these articles and drawn at random by the 
guests before they take their seats. The one 
drawing the needle has the seat of honor at the 
right of the hostess. 

For a fall decoration a fruit panel produces a 
handsome effect on an oblong table covered with 
a white cloth. Have a strip of embroidery or 
a long scarf running down the center of the 
table and outline it with a garland of laurel 
leaves — although myrtle, box, or bay leaves also 

9 6 



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are appropriate. Have among the leaves groups 
of fruit of several varieties, using apples, bananas, 
oranges, plums, and grapes. The fruit course 
may be served from this appetizing array. 

A yellow straw basket, decorated with corn- 
colored ribbons and filled with autumn leaves 
and fruits, makes a simple and appropriate cen- 
terpiece for an autumn luncheon-table. 

A handsome fruit-holder may be made of an 
ordinary earthen bowl covered with a loosely 
woven net of raffia. Here and there through the 
meshes autumn leaves and fall flowers should be 
thrust carelessly. 

WEIRD AND ATTRACTIVE EFFECTS FOR 
HALLOWE'EN 

A Hallowe'en luncheon may be made most 
attractive by excluding the daylight from the 
room and allowing gas or electric-light globes 
to shine through orange-colored tissue-paper. As 
a centerpiece for the table have a large pump- 
kin with a face cut on each side, the inside to 
be lighted by candles. Around the pumpkin 

99 LofC. 



THE TABLE 

place yellow ears of corn pointing outward like 
rays, and between them arrange little mounds 
of fruit and nuts. Jack-o'-lantern faces should 
peer out from various nooks. Small pincushions 
shaped like pumpkins would be appropriate 
favors. 

A novel centerpiece suitable for a Hallowe'en 
table consists of a large cabbage cut to look like 
a rose. The heart of the cabbage must be re- 
moved and the inner " petals " so pressed back 
that a small bowl filled with alcohol may be 
placed in the center. This is to be carefully 
lighted just before the guests assemble, the other 
lights being temporarily extinguished. 

Jack-o'-lanterns made of white gourds with 
lights inside would form an attractive feature at 
a Hallowe'en party where the floral centerpiece 
consisted of white cosmos. 

Hallowe'en apples for a table decoration have 
the centers scooped out and little diamond-shaped 
pieces cut through the sides for windows. Leave 
the stems on and level the apples so that they 

IOO 




IOI 



THE TABLE 

will stand firm. To obtain a pretty effect place 
a small lighted taper inside each apple, and 
darken the room. 

A candle-light supper is a novel idea for Hal- 
lowe'en. Fill a large glass bowl with water on 
which a small quantity of olive-oil has been 
poured, and place it in the center of the table. 
On this oil let fifteen or twenty tiny tapers float 
— the oil itself serving as the illuminant. The 
other light in the dining-room should come from 
shaded candles. 

Pine-tree candlesticks, composed of short 
lengths of the pine-tree, are pretty to see on the 
table. Trim the branches a little and bore a hole 
in the top to hold a candle. Level the base of 
the branch, so that it will not topple over, or nail 
it to a small block, painted green. 

NEW TOUCHES FOR THE THANKSGIVING 
TABLE 

For a Thanksgiving dinner try a pumpkin as 
a centerpiece. Cut it out about one-third from 
the top and fill it to overflowing with the prettiest 

103 



THE TABLE 

fruit you can find, including small red apples and 
Malaga grapes. Brass candlesticks with yellow 
shades are pretty to use at the feast. At each 
place a little papier-mache turkey, with the name 
card attached, will be amusing. For dessert, a 
cream frozen in the form of miniature pumpkins 
would be a novelty. 

Another suitable decoration for the table con- 
sists of a promiscuous gathering of the brightest 
and best fruit and vegetables in season, all massed 
together, resting on a bed of autumn leaves. 
Above the other vegetables have a large pumpkin 
cut as a Jack-o'-lantern, with a lighted candle 
inside. Egg-plants at the four corners of the 
pyramid of vegetables, also made into Jack-o'- 
lanterns and lighted, would add much to the 
effect. 

Where the bitter-sweet berries can be gathered, 
and those of the mountain-ash, very pretty deco- 
rations for the Thanksgiving table may be made 
of both. 

104 




io 5 



THE TABLE 



For an old-fashioned dinner, to be given dur- 
ing the holiday season or even later in the winter, 
extend a long table across the dining-room, and, 
according to tradition, provide a smaller one for 
the young people. The table should be covered 
with a turkey-red cloth and set with old-fash- 
ioned pieces of crockery, glass, and silver. Serve 
a plain, substantial feast, such as roast turkey, 
roast pig, chicken pie, mashed potatoes, turnips, 
squash and onions, baked beans and brown bread, 
apple, mince, and pumpkin pies. In the center 
of the table place a large pumpkin, hollowed out 
and filled with apples, oranges, grapes, figs, or 
other fruit. 



107 



V 

AT CHRISTMAS-TIDE 



9 



V 



AT CHRISTMAS-TIDE 

Miniature Christmas Trees on the Dinner-table — Two At- 
tractive Star Designs — Snowbank and Snowballs — Hoops 
of Holly and Arbor-vitae — A Cone of Oranges for a 
Centerpiece — Ideas for Children's Parties — A Group of 
Minor Suggestions. 

IF you do not mind taking a little trouble in 
order to make the Christmas breakfast-table 
attractive, secure a small evergreen tree and place 
it in the center of the table in a jardiniere filled 
with earth to keep it steady. Use a red paper 
diamond-shaped mat underneath, and decorate 
the tree with small candles, tinsel, etc. Red 
ribbons tied about the base of the tree may be 
drawn toward the corners of the table, the ends 
being held down by candlesticks supporting red 
candles. Put sprigs of holly with the gifts at 
the different places. Larger gifts may be left on 
small side-tables. Darken the room, light the 

113 



THE TABLE 



candles, and summon the family to this pretty 
scene. 

Christmas bells covered with holly will give a 
festive appearance to any dining-room. Strong 
wires, wrapped around with ribbon and draped 
with greens, are fastened to the chandelier and 
bent to form the support of the bells. Each 
small bell is suspended by a loop and bow of 
red ribbon to fall in front of a plate. A larger 
bell hangs a little higher in the center. From 
each tongue of the small bells is fastened a 
place card by means of baby ribbon. Around 
each plate there is a garland of evergreen fast- 
ened with a bow of red ribbon. 

MINIATURE CHRISTMAS TREES 

For a variation in the way of table decoration 
set tiny Christmas trees at the four corners of 
a long mirror, and a larger tree in the center. 
The frame of the mirror and the tree-stands 
should be covered with green moss, over which 
asbestos snow should be piled. The trees should 

114 



THE TABLE 



be decorated with tinsel and ornaments, and the 
center tree may have small candles in addition. 

A dwarf Japanese pine is used for a miniature 
Christmas tree on the dinner-table illustrated 
on page 123. After it has been placed in a 
jar and decorated, holly is banked loosely around 
to conceal the jar completely. Under the holly 
hide a small gift for each guest. Attach ribbons 
to the articles and carry the other ends of the 
ribbons to the several places, where they may be 
fastened to place cards. The ribbons are to be 
pulled at the close of the dinner, and the gifts 
may cause much merriment if the hostess be 
clever in selecting them. 

TWO ATTRACTIVE STAR DESIGNS 
Pine cones are so plentiful in many parts of 
this country that they should not be overlooked 
in connect inn with Christmas decorations. Try 
arranging them in the form of a star, as shown on 
page 1 77. The center of the star should be raised. 
Sprigs of holly and mistletoe should be scattered 
between the points of the star. Bits of mistletoe 



THE TABLE 

also should be attached to the ladies' place cards 
and holly to the men's. 

The star on the table in the picture on page 
181 is defined by means of a ribbon stretch- 
ing from the center toward the edges, the space 
enclosed by the bands being filled in with holly. 
The guests' places are set between the points of 
the star. At the end of each point is a silver 
candlestick with a white candle, encircled by a 
wreath of holly. In the center of the star is a 
silver candelabrum with white candles. From 
the chandelier are hung some Christmas bells 
adorned with holly. Ribbons are tied to the bells 
and again to the candlesticks. 

SNOWBANK AND SNOWBALLS 
A mound of cotton, sprinkled with diamond- 
dust to represent a snowbank, is set up in the 
center of the round table in the illustration on 
page 205. A wreath of holly surrounds the 
mound, and in the center there is a bowl filled 
with holly. Over the table is suspended by red 
ribbons a bunch of snowballs made of cotton 

118 




ii9 



THE TABLE 



sprinkled with diamond-dust. Silver candlesticks 
with white candles, and white shades adorned 
with holly, help to make the table bright. Red 
ribbons start from the snowbank and run to each 
guest's place, where they are attached to the 
place cards. 

HOOPS OF HOLLY AND ARBOR- VIT^E 
Suspend over the dinner-table a hoop wreathed 
with holly, on which tiny stockings filled with 
candy are hung, as shown on page 127. The 
centerpiece should be of roses and holly. If pos- 
sible, serve the ice-cream in the form of snow- 
balls, with a sprig of holly stuck in each one. 

Three hoops covered with arbor-vite, and kept 
in an upright position by wire supports, are an 
oddity for a Christmas table decoration. Each 
hoop, or wreath, should be tied at the top with 
a large bow of scarlet ribbon. Other wreaths 
may be placed at the corners of the table. If 
that be done, place in the middle of each wreath 
a silver candlestick. Red candles, with white 



THE TABLE 



shades adorned with holly, will complete the 
picture shown on page 109. 

A CONE OF ORANGES FOR A CENTERPIECE 

A cone made of oranges, with sprigs of holly 
fringing the bottom of the pile and peeping out 
among the fruit, as illustrated on page 101, 
would arouse admiration as a centerpiece for a 
Christmas dinner-table. A four-pointed star 
formed of bright scarlet ribbon should be placed 
outside the orange cone, and an orange, upon a 
mat of holly sprigs, should rest at each of its 
points. Evergreen may be used instead of holly. 
Let the ribbons extend to each corner of the table, 
where they may be finished with a large bow and 
ends. If preferred, ribbon the shade of the or- 
anges, which will contrast prettily with the bright 
berries of the holly, may be used. 

A TASTEFUL COMBINATION OF HOLLY 
AND RIBBONS 

A silver basket filled with holly may form the 
centerpiece for the dinner-table. A bow of red 
ribbon should be tied on the handle, with one end 

122 



THE TABLE 



trailing on the table. Have holly banked around 
the basket, diverging in points. Silver candle- 
sticks should stand at each point, bearing white 
tapers, with dainty shades of white lined with 
red. The places may be designated by dolls' 
stockings, caught with red ribbon bows and holly 
sprays and filled with nuts and bonbons. As 
shown in the picture on page 105, red ribbon 
should stretch from each stocking to the basket, 
where, concealed by holly, it may be attached to 
some gift to be drawn out after the dinner. 

IDEAS FOR CHILDREN'S PARTIES 

For a children's Christmas party a snow man, 
made of fine white cotton and crowned with holly, 
will make an amusing centerpiece. Ribbon reins 
adorned with bells should lead to all the guests' 
places, as pictured on page 201. To them may 
be attached some simple gifts. The ice-cream 
should be moulded to represent snowballs. 

A toboggan centerpiece is a decided novelty 
and pretty for a children's party in the holiday 

125 



THE TABLE 

season. Use two pieces of scantling, each thirty 
inches long, crossing each other at right angles 
and being bolted in the center. Bore half-inch 
holes four inches apart in the strips and fill them 
with evergreens. Form snow-drifts of asbestos 
wool between the divisions, and on these place 
miniature toboggans made of cardboard, each 
one steered by a tiny doll and filled with gifts. 
On the top of the hill have a bunch of holly and 
some red-shaded candles. Attach the toboggans 
by red ribbons under the holly, leaving the ends 
loose so that the sleds may be drawn nearer with 
the dessert course. Arrange four groups of can- 
dles with holly around the base of the hill. Let- 
ter the toboggans in silver for souvenirs. 

A GROUP OF MINOR SUGGESTIONS 
A Christmas bower is a pretty addition to the 
holiday decorations of the dining-room. Remove 
the ordinary silk filling of the screen so often 
used to hide a pantry door and cover the spaces 
with a coarse wire netting. Twigs of arbor- 
vitse, fir, pine, cedar, laurel, and holly may be 

126 



(- 



THE TABLE 

interlaced, producing a charming effect and a 
delightful spicy odor, 

A mat for the Christmas table may be made 
of small twigs of holly woven together with fine 
wire and used effectively in the center of the table 
under a glass bowl of red or white flowers. 

A snowball centerpiece for the holiday season 
may be made of cotton batting over a ball-shaped 
foundation of wire netting. Stick sprigs of holly 
in a large white ribbon bow for the top and cover 
the ball with diamond-dust. Surround the snow- 
ball with sprigs of holly extending out on the 
cloth. 

If the ice-cream be moulded in individual forms 
of a comic character for Christmas day much fun 
will follow its serving. 



i 29 



VI 



FOR THE 
BRIDE AND BRIDE-TO-BE 



VI 



FOR THE BRIDE AND BRIDE-TO-BE 

A Stock Shower — Mystery and Fun — Bridesmaids' Luncheons 
— Wedding Breakfasts — Easter Weddings — Appropriate 
Decorations in Spring and Summer — An Engagement 
Dinner. 

A PRETTY luncheon for a prospective bride 
may be given in the form of a " stock 
shower." All the guests invited, except the 
bride-to-be, should bring a prettily made stock 
of her own handiwork. These the hostess should 
conceal amid the decorations of her table until 
the end of the luncheon. A large bowl filled with 
white stocks, or gillyflowers, should occupy the 
center of the table. At each place, for a place 
card, provide a certificate of one share of stock 
in Hymen's Mutual Benefit Association. These 
certificates, with names filled in and seals at- 
tached, will cause much amusement. They may 
be made by one who is skilful with a pen. 

133 



THE TABLE 



A BIT OF MYSTERY AND FUN 
A centerpiece for a luncheon for a bride-elect 
that encroaches on the realm of childhood, yet 
causes much entertainment, is a huge " Jack 
Horner " pie. This is made out of a tin dish- 
pan trimmed with crepe paper. A cover of paste- 
board to fit the top may be still further decorated 
with the crepe paper and paper flowers. Ribbons 
from under the cover should extend to every 
girl's place, but are not to be pulled until the 
close of the luncheon. Attached to each ribbon 
and hidden in the " pie " are little packages, each 
containing the answer to the solemn question, 
" What is to be my fate? " For one there may 
be a little tin soldier; for another, a pill bottle, 
signifying a doctor; for others, a wax taper, 
meaning a " shining light/' a small green bag, 
suggesting a lawyer, an ink bottle, signifying a 
writer — and so on. Many may be thought of 
that will afford much amusement. 



134 




i35 



THE TABLE 



PRETTY EFFECTS FOR BRIDESMAIDS' 
LUNCHEONS 

Decorations for a luncheon to be given in 
spring by a bride-to-be to her bridesmaids may 
be arranged as follows : In the center of the table 
have a bowl containing little jewel-boxes in which 
are fleur-de-lis stick-pins, one for each guest. 
Ribbons, alternating white and purple, are tied 
to each package in butterfly bows, and when the 
boxes are piled in the bowl the effect is that of 
a bowl full of violets. One end of each bow is 
left long and reaches to the plate of one of the 
girls. Tall, slender vases, filled with white and 
purple irises, are placed near the ends of the 
table. The place cards are fleurs-de-lis, cut of 
heavy water-color paper and tinted in natural 
colors. 

For a bridesmaids' dinner perhaps nothing 
could be prettier or more appropriate than a table 
arranged in the manner suggested in the fron- 
tispiece of this book. The large, low dish of 
pink roses and the four oddly shaped silver can- 

137 



THE TABLE 



dlesticks, with their pretty pink paper shades, are 
certainly suggestive of the rosy glow which 
usually prevails upon such occasions. 

The loose and graceful effect of the flowers is 
obtained by taking one of the low, flat baskets 
which are sold by florists and, after filling it with 
moss, so arranging the flowers that they will 
appear as in the picture. If roses can not be 
had, some other flower may be substituted; in 
which case the color used for the candle-shades 
also should be so changed as to harmonize. 

A HINT OR TWO AS TO WEDDING 
BREAKFASTS 

For a wedding breakfast in spring, a round 
table may be covered with a lace centerpiece 
spread over violet-colored silk. From the chande- 
lier clusters of wistaria and asparagus fern may 
hang. Around the mirror in the center of the 
table have clusters of wistaria blossoms, and let 
violet ribbons, running from the center, end in 
bunches of wistaria around the edge of the table, 
as shown on the opposite page. 

i 3 8 



THE TABLE 



Where there are many guests to be seated at 
a wedding breakfast this arrangement is sug- 
gested : Have two round tables, one in a front 
room, the other in the back. Between these run 
a long table, connecting with the other two in 
the form of a dumb-bell. Have all tables cov- 
ered with white. The round tables should be 
decorated with candelabra and masses of pink 
roses and ferns, from which three ropes of smilax 
run up and cross at the folding-doors and hang 
in festoons of green. Fern leaves should be scat- 
tered loosely over the tables. In the center of 
the long table have a candelabrum surrounded 
by a smaller bank of roses. The chandeliers and 
windows should be festooned with smilax. 

FOR AN EASTER WEDDING FEAST 
Nothing could be more exquisite for an Easter 
wedding table than some design in which lilies 
form almost the entire decoration. Let white 
satin ribbons fall from the chandelier, ending 
with branches of lilies, just as pictured on page 
143. At each guest's place have a white basket, 

141 



THE TABLE 



also filled with lilies or some other white flowers. 
Let the wedding-cake be ornamented with lilies. 

For a wedding later in the season this idea 
could be carried out in much the same way, sub- 
stituting some other flower. For a May wed- 
ding wdiite lilacs may be used, and for a June 
wedding, white roses with white ribbon, or pink 
with pink ribbon, would be in good taste. 

Lilies-of-the-valley and white satin ribbon may 
be most appropriately used for an Easter wed- 
ding table. The centerpiece should be a basket 
of the flowers resting upon a white satin mat, 
wreathed with lilies. Strands of the ribbon, tied 
to sprays of lilies, may form a fringe around the 
table. This idea is illustrated on page 135. 

WHEN WEDDINGS COME IN SPRING OR 
EARLY SUMMER 

Green and white decorations are suitable for 
weddings in the spring or early summer. A 
table-cover of white organdy over green silk, 
festooned with smilax, will give a beautiful effect. 

142 




1 1 



143 



THE TABLE 

White carnations, with ferns, may form the cen- 
terpiece. Bow-knots of green ribbon should 
adorn the corners of the table, and crystal can- 
delabra should be used, as on page 147. 

Of course, there is nothing thought of for 
decorations for a June wedding before roses, 
although these flowers have been used so often 
that one wonders if any new possibilities exist. 
Yet June would not be June without brides and 
roses. For the wedding breakfast-table make 
four long garlands, using fine spool wire, and 
fastening together long-stemmed blossoms and 
a quantity of foliage. Care should be taken to 
avoid a stiff appearance. Suspend these gar- 
lands from the chandelier to the four corners of 
the table. Where the garlands reach the corners 
they should end either in green tendrils or with 
a single long-stemmed rose. For a centerpiece 
have a flat bouquet of green leaves and roses 
in a shallow bowl. Glass candlesticks, with white 
candles and white shades, complete this pretty 
table. 

H5 



THE TABLE 



Another decoration in roses is suggested for 
a June wedding, as follows : The table should 
be festooned with smilax, and from each corner 
garlands of smilax and pink roses should extend 
to the chandelier, which should be hidden by a 
mass of roses and asparagus fern. Rose-colored 
bows should adorn the corners of the table, and 
crystal candelabra, with pink candles, should be 
used. A picture is given on page 151. 

SOMETHING NEW FOR AN ENGAGEMENT 
DINNER 

Pink roses in a low bowl, and also formed 
into two hollow hearts each side of the bowl, 
may constitute the decorations of a table ar- 
ranged especially for an engagement dinner. 
In the center of each heart there should be a 
jointed doll, with white wings wired to its shoul- 
ders; the joints and wires being wound about 
with narrow blue ribbon tied at one side in a 
bow. Each doll should hold a bow and arrow 
cut from water-color paper, and gilded; the 
strings of the arrows being of blue sewing silk, 

146 



Page 142 

A WEDDING TABLE IN GREEN AND WHITE. 



147 



THE TABLE 



and the dolls being so posed as to appear to be 
shooting the arrows, as a glance at page 157 will 
make clear. 

The guests' cards may be gilded arrows, placed 
upon the table napkins, and- made to appear as 
if shot there by the dolls. In addition to the 
name upon each card, some quotation, appropri- 
ate for the occasion, may be written. 



149 




Page 146 



READY FOR A JUNE BRIDE. 



VII 



ANNIVERSARIES AND OTHER 
SPECIAL OCCASIONS 



VII 



ANNIVERSARIES AND OTHER SPECIAL 
OCCASIONS 

Children's Parties — A Rose-bush Full of Surprises — Two More 
Ideas to Please Little Folk — Children's Christmas Tables 
— When a Seventieth Birthday is Celebrated — Crystal and 
Golden Weddings — A Pretty Table for Debutantes— A 
Farewell Luncheon — When Golfers Make Merry. 

JAPANESE decorations always are pretty 
and satisfactory for a children's party. A 
large open Japanese parasol may stand in the 
center of the table. If the handle be pushed 
down into a jar of sand, the parasol will be 
kept in position. Screen the jar from view by 
nasturtiums, or any other flower in season. 
Cherry blossoms would be particularly appro- 
priate if the birthday party were in May, or 
chrysanthemums for a day late in the autumn. 
Japanese shades should soften the light of the 
candles. Little Japanese dolls and trinkets 
should be laid at each child's place as souvenirs, 

155 



THE TABLE 



and the dining-room may be lighted by Japan- 
ese lanterns. Little Japanese water-flowers, if 
dropped in finger-bowls and allowed to unfold 
their petals, will delight the children. This table 
is illustrated on page 185. 

A ROSE-BUSH FULL OF SURPRISES 

An attractive centerpiece for the table at a 
children's party is a " surprise rose-bush. " One 
will be amply repaid for the trouble of preparing 
it by the real surprise and happiness of the 
children when they enter the dining-room. For 
the foundation take a five-inch or six-inch flower- 
pot, invert a funnel in it, and thrust a stick two 
or three feet long into the small end of the 
funnel. If this foundation should prove unsteady, 
wire the funnel to the pot and the stick to the 
funnel. Cover the stick — the " stem " of the 
" rose-bush " — with green crepe paper and make 
wire loops, covered with green, on each side of 
the stem, to hold the roses. Fill the pot with 
moss or green paper and place it in a pretty 
jardiniere. 

1.56 




157 



THE TABLE 



Now, for the roses, get as many small round 
pasteboard boxes, with covers, as there will be 
children present. Attach a wire, covered with 
green, to the bottom of each box. It should be 
sewed on firmly. Then make rose petals of 
tissue-paper of whatever color you wish the 
flowers to be, and cover the boxes with them. 
Put them on thickly, having a little green paper 
on the lower part of the boxes to represent the 
calyxes of the roses. Make smaller crumpled 
petals for the centers. With a little practice the 
roses will not be hard to make. Inside each 
rose-box place a little gift wrapped in tissue- 
paper. Then pass all the small rose-stems 
through the wire loops of the main stem, and 
the rose-bush will be ready. After the supper 
each child may be invited to " pick a rose." 

TWO NEW WAYS TO PLEASE LITTLE FOLK 

If you never have done so before, plan to have 
in pink all the decorations for some birthday party 
for a child. Let wide pink satin ribbons extend 

i 59 



THE TABLE 



diagonally across the table. For a centerpiece 
use a glass bowl of fruit, with pink carnations 
interspersed. Ornament the cake with pink icing 
and pink candles, and hang an immense shower 
of pink baby ribbon from the chandelier. Each 
ribbon should be a different length and hold a 
silver or gold " cracker/' 

A candy house would make a novel and at- 
tractive centerpiece for a children's party table. 
Build a log house of red and white sticks of 
candy, and form the roof of strips of cake. For 
a rail fence use sticks of chocolate candy or 
straws, and, if possible, have some spun candy to 
represent grass. 

CHILDREN'S CHRISTMAS TABLES 

For a Christmas party a centerpiece of the 
" four-and-twenty blackbirds baked in a pie " 
would be a pleasant surprise. Blackbirds' heads 
may be bought at a millinery house. The " pie " 
should consist of a large pan filled with little 

160 



THE TABLE 

gifts, each one tied with a ribbon which comes 
through the " crust " of the pie and runs to one 
of the seats at the table, so that each child may 
draw out his gift. Paper the color of pie-crust 
should be used for the cover, and holes should 
be cut large enough for the birds' heads to come 
through when the ribbons are pulled. Holly 
should surround the pie and be scattered over 
the table. 

Another centerpiece for a children's Christmas 
party may be in the form of a snowbank made 
of cotton wool sprinkled with diamond-dust and 
decorated with sprigs of holly. Attach a simple 
gift for each little guest to a red ribbon and 
conceal it under the snowbank. Let the other 
end of the ribbon lie on the table near the child's 
place. 

WHEN A SEVENTIETH BIRTHDAY IS 
CELEBRATED 

Here is a suggestion for the decoration of the 
table for a seventieth birthday anniversary: 
Place two boxes on the table, one on top of 
163 



THE TABLE 



the other — the lower one to be wider than the 
upper. Decorate them with flounces of white 
lace paper. Thirty-six yellow candles should be 
arranged an inch apart all around the upper box, 
and seventeen at each end of the lower box, 
making a total of seventy. The birthday cake, 
with one white " life candle," should be placed 
in the center of the upper box. Over the boxes 
and on the table-cloth scatter asparagus fern and 
yellow roses, as shown on the opposite page. 

Another way to decorate the table for a sev- 
entieth birthday celebration is to have lavender 
the prevailing color. A large birthday cake, iced 
with lavender and white, and holding seventy 
small white tapers, should be placed in the center 
of the table. Around the cake have a wreath 
of lavender leaves and violets. Candle-shades, 
lavender in color, and decorated with artificial 
violets, should be placed over white candles in 
the glass or silver candlesticks. At each place 
there may be a bunch of lavender leaves tied with 
lavender baby ribbon. 

164 




i6 5 



THE TABLE 



CRYSTAL AND GOLDEN WEDDINGS 

For a crystal wedding, marking fifteen years 
of married life, the following outline for a beau- 
tiful table decoration is offered : 

On an oval table arrange three table mirrors, 
the largest in the middle, the other two on either 
side; then place garlands of the ice-plant around 
the mirrors, the bunches being tied with white 
satin ribbon. A wreath of the ice-plant may 
encircle the edge of the table, caught at inter- 
vals by loops and bows of white ribbon. At 
each end of the table have tall glass candelabra 
or single glass candlesticks, trimmed with the ice- 
plant, and holding w r hite candles. 

The ice-plant is a short trailing plant, light 
green in color ; the leaves rather small, the stems 
unusually large. Each leaf and stem is thickly 
covered with something resembling icy crystals. 

Even if golden weddings are not common, it 
may be that a word as to suitable decorations 
for the table will be appreciated. 

167 



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Yellow and white should be the prevailing 
colors ; hence, yellow and white flowers should 
form the centerpiece. Gilt candlesticks or can- 
delabra, with white candles and yellow shades, 
may be used. The cake, with yellow icing, 
should have fifty small wax tapers burning on it. 
The yellow-and-white idea may be carried out 
also in connection with the refreshments pro- 
vided. 

A PRETTY TABLE FOR DEBUTANTES 

A pretty entertainment for a number of debu- 
tantes would be " a butterfly luncheon." If the 
centerpiece and doilies can be embroidered with 
butterflies it will be so much the prettier. At 
each plate place a cocoon of gray crepe paper, 
which, when opened, will disclose a folded butter- 
fly made of paper. All the butterflies should be 
different. They may be easily made by any one 
who can use a paint-brush or who is handy at 
making up tissue- or crepe-paper decorations. A 
small pin or invisible hairpin should be attached 

168 




169 



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to each one, so that the butterfly may be pinned 
on the dress or in the hair. 

After the last course everything but the bon- 
bons should be removed from the table, and a 
large tray with sheets of different-colored tissue- 
paper placed upon it. Scissors, needle, and thread 
may then be given to each guest, who may select 
as many sheets of paper from the tray as she 
wishes. Then ten minutes may be allowed for 
the making of butterfly hats, caps, or aprons. A 
prize of some dainty butterfly design in jewelry 
— a fan, a fancy box, or anything the hostess 
considers to be appropriate — may then be given 
to the guest producing the prettiest article. 

A FAREWELL LUNCHEON 
For a farewell luncheon forget-me-nots are, 
of course, the most suitable decoration. A mir- 
ror, as large as possible, should first be laid on 
top of the white cloth, and a smaller one should 
be placed at each corner. Four round, padded 
cloths may be so laid over the mirrors that half 
of each one rests on the table and the other half 

171 



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hangs down over the main cloth. A hedge of 
forget-me-nots should run around the halves of 
the round cloths that lie on the mirrors, and 
along the edge of the table to the corners. The 
place cards should be decorated with forget-me- 
nots. 

Of course, if it be possible to obtain a mirror 
almost the size of the table, as shown in the 
illustration on page 169, the effect will be excep- 
tionally fine. 

WHEN GOLFERS MAKE MERRY 
A tea-table for a golf party may be arranged 
by having in the center a " putting green " made 
of a square of sponge-cake iced with pistachio. 
A little hole should be cut in the middle of the 
" green." A golf-ball, made of a preserved 
cherry covered with white icing, should be placed 
near the " hole." Vases filled with red gera- 
niums, or salvia, and ferns should stand at the 
corners of the table. Little caddy-bags, holding 
miniature golf-clubs, and having space, when 
opened, to contain candy, may be filled and laid 
at the guests' places for souvenirs. 

172 



VIII 



WHERE FEASTING AND FUN GO 
TOGETHER 



VIII 



WHERE FEASTING AND FUN GO 
TOGETHER 

Gift and Mystery Luncheons — Some Pretty Rainbow Effects 
— Ideas Borrowed from the Japanese — " Personally Con- 
ducted Tours" — A Violet Luncheon and a Game with It — 
Superstition and Sea Luncheons — Some Good Ways to 
Use Ferns and Electric Lights. 

WHEN a girl wishes to entertain her 
friends in an original and delightful 
way, let her try a gift luncheon, full of sur- 
prises. At the end of each course a little parcel 
is brought in by the servant to the hostess, who 
reads from the wrapper the name of one of the 
guests. Amid much excitement the package is 
opened and found to contain a little gift in some 
way suitable for that particular person. The 
number of courses corresponds with the number 
of places laid, so that the last package is brought 
in just after the coffee. 

13 175 



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FUN AT A MYSTERY LUNCHEON 
" A mystery luncheon/' for an informal en- 
tertainment, arouses much curiosity, and, as the 
name suggests, affords amusement, too. Each 
course is brought to the table covered by a nap- 
kin, and the guests must try to guess what it is 
before the covering is removed. Each one is 
provided with a pad of paper and pencil and 
privately sets down her guess. When it is im- 
possible to conceal the course, guesses as to what 
it will be may be made before it is brought in. 
For this luncheon let the dishes be served in the 
old-fashioned way : on the table by the hostess. 
A little prize or souvenir should be awarded to 
the one who has the greatest number of correct 
guesses. 

A RAINBOW LUNCHEON 
" A rainbow luncheon " would create indoor 
sunshine on a cloudy afternoon, and may be made 
a pleasant affair under any conditions. The 
hostess should request each of six guests to wear 

176 




177 



THE TABLE 



a gown of a particular color, if possible, or else 
a white gown with ribbons of the color she may 
designate; and, with herself dressed in red or- 
gandy, the seven colors of the rainbow will be 
represented around the table. Ribbons of the 
various colors should be draped from the chan- 
delier, each one being fastened near the place 
of the guest dressed in the corresponding color. 
The menu cards may be tied with rainbow 
bunches of baby ribbon and inscribed with these 
words : " Red," " Orange," " Yellow," " Green," 
" Blue," " Indigo," " Violet." 

The first course, " Red," may be small apples, 
and the second may be jellied bouillon served in 
halves of orange-skins which have been cut in 
fancy shapes. " Yellow " may be minced chicken 
in little pastry cases, with yellow sauce, potato 
croquettes, delicately browned, and squash. 
" Green," of course, is the salad of cucumbers 
and lettuce, with French dressing. " Blue, In- 
digo, and Violet " stand for the dessert : violet 
ice-cream, little cakes, the frosting of which may 
be delicately tinted with blue, and little boxes, 

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covered with deep blue paper, containing candied 
violets. 

STRIKING EFFECTS BY USE OF RIBBONS 

Another suggestion for " a rainbow luncheon," 
when one wishes to entertain many guests, is 
this : Have as many small tables as there are 
colors of the rainbow, each table to be decorated 
in harmony with that color of the rainbow which 
it represents, in respect to flowers, candle-shades, 
bonbons, etc. 

Eight tables may be used, having one, in the 
center of all, arranged in white. This idea would 
be especially pretty if the luncheon were given 
on account of an engagement. 

A pretty and unusual way to decorate a table 
is to have as many colored ribbons, three inches 
w^ide, as there will be guests. Turn down the 
edge of one end of each ribbon and run one 
narrow ribbon through all, attaching it to the 
chandelier over the table. Bring the other ends 
of the ribbons to the several places at the table, 
fastening each one with a pretty bow. Instead 

180 



THE TABLE 

of using place cards, provide the guests with 
little bows of baby ribbon, corresponding to the 
ribbons on the table. 

This idea may be turned into " a rainbow 
luncheon " by having the ribbons the seven colors 
of the rainbow. 

Another pretty ribbon effect at a luncheon may 
be obtained in the following manner : The flowers 
should be red. At the base of the centerpiece 
have asparagus fern, and over the entire table 
strew a number of yards of red baby ribbon. 

IDEAS FROM THE JAPANESE 
" A Mikado luncheon " affords an excellent 
opportunity for using a variety of Japanese 
decorations. Suspend a large Japanese um- 
brella from the chandelier so that the handle, 
which is trimmed with smilax, reaches down 
to a Japanese bowl filled with red and white 
carnations. The place cards should be black, 
with the names written in red and white in 
quaint vertical lettering. Japanese lanterns and 

183 



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napkins in unusual shapes will add to the artistic 
effect. 

A pretty way to have a Japanese luncheon in 
spring-time is to use cherry blossoms or wild 
azaleas, arranging the boughs, if possible, in 
separate vases and bowls, in true Japanese fash- 
ion, grouping them all in the center of the table. 
Have the table bare, and use such round Japan- 
ese doilies as come in two sizes. Place the larger 
size under the plates and vases, and use the 
smaller size for bread-and-butter plates and 
tumblers. Candle-shades made of little Japan- 
ese fans would be effective. The wire holding 
the fans together should be taken out and the 
fans mounted on ordinary shade-holders. Sou- 
venir post cards, having Japanese figures on 
them, would make pretty place cards. 

For a Japanese tea use, instead of little tea- 
tables, several tabourettes, each holding a tea- 
pot, cups and saucers, lemon and sugar, cakes 
and Japanese napkins. Cushions made of mat- 

184 




i85 



THE TABLE 



ting may be placed on the floor before each 
tabourette. Those who serve may wear the 
Japanese costume. Paper cherry blossoms fast- 
ened to tree branches would make an effective 
decoration for the room. 

A TOUR AROUND THE WORLD 

A " personally conducted tour around the 
world " may be taken during a luncheon, and 
certainly would break the ice, particularly if the 
gathering were a large one. Foreign post cards, 
which now may be obtained at large department 
stores, should lie on the table at each place, the 
address side being used as the place card. Each 
card should be numbered. On the picture side 
a conundrum should be written, the answer to 
be the name of some foreign city or town, but 
not the one depicted on the card. 

For example, the conundrum written on one 
card may be, "What city is seen at the Zoo?" 
— the answer being Lyons. Another question 
may be: " Who ran away with Helen? " — Paris. 
Still others may be: "A girl's name? 1 ' — Flor- 

i8 7 



THE TABLE 

ence; " The cleanest place in the world? " — Bath. 
A list will readily suggest itself. 

During the changes of courses the cards are 
passed around the table, until all present have 
seen them. Each guest is provided with a pencil 
and card and writes the numbers and answers 
as she guesses the questions. If the company 
be a small one, the number of cards circulated 
may exceed the number of guests. 

For a prize to present to the most successful 
guesser, a little suit-case, covered with labels, 
should be offered. The contents of the case may 
be such as will cause much amusement : pictures 
cut from the advertising sheets of magazines, 
of various objects which may be packed in a 
valise, such as comb and brush, tooth-brush, 
stocks, handkerchiefs, shirt-waists, gloves, photo- 
graphs, books, stationery, and medicine. 

A VIOLET LUNCHEON— AND A GAME 
WITH IT 

A violet luncheon may be arranged in various 
attractive ways. An especially pretty way, how- 
ever, to supply the chief decoration of the table 

188 



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is to start by setting a large glass bowl on a 
violet embroidered centerpiece, filling the bowl 
with smilax and pale pink carnations. In the 
center of the bowl place a tall green glass vase, 
making it secure by passing four lengths of green 
baby ribbon crosswise over the top of it and 
fastening the ends to the edges of the linen cen- 
terpiece with little bows. In the vase itself place 
as many bunches of violets as there will be guests 
— usually six or eight. To each bunch of violets 
tie violet-colored baby ribbon, and bring one end 
of the ribbon of each bunch to the place of one 
of the guests. The ends should be pinned to the 
cloth under a little bow. This will make a num- 
ber of ribbons, resembling a May-pole. After 
the luncheon each guest may unfasten the little 
bow at her place and, by giving the ribbon a 
slight pull, draw out a bunch of violets. The 
ribbons passing over the top of the vase will hold 
it firmly in position. 

At each place have a little book made of two 
white cards, decorated with violets and tied to- 
gether with violet baby ribbon. A small pencil 



THE TABLE 

should be attached to each card. A dozen num- 
bered questions should be written on these cards, 
the answers to all to be formed wholly of letters 
contained in the single word " violet/' For ex- 
ample : " What cardinal sin in the violet? " An- 
swer, lie. A few others : " What tender pas- 
sion ? " — love ; " What privilege of men ? " — 
vote; "What prerogative of the President?" — 
veto. Other questions may be easily framed, as 
more than a dozen very familiar words have 
been made from the one word violet. A little 
prize may be given to the person giving the 
greatest number of correct answers. 

SUPERSTITION AND SEA LUNCHEONS 
" A superstition luncheon " may afford merri- 
ment for those who scoff at all adages on the 
subject of ill-luck. Choose Friday as the day 
on which to have it, and if Friday should not 
happen to fall on the 13th, write thirteen in 
your invitations, with as many days plus or 
minus as will be required to make the true date. 
Just thirteen people should sit at the table. Over 

192 



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the table suspend an open umbrella. Small hand- 
glasses, with cracks painted across the glass and 
the guests' names burned on the handles, would 
be appropriate for place cards and souvenirs. 

If you take a fancy to give " a sea luncheon/' 
let your color scheme be coral-pink and sea-green. 
The place cards should be decorated with sea- 
weeds. Pretty candle-shades may be made of 
crepe paper in the form of a conch-shell. The 
menu should include varieties of sea-food. 

TWO PRETTY WAYS TO USE ELECTRIC 
LIGHTS 

A novel idea for the central decoration of a 
luncheon-table is the use of a drop-light from 
an electric-light chandelier over the table. The 
bulb may be put in an opal-colored glass bowl 
filled with pink carnations and smilax, and the 
wire may be concealed by twining smilax 
around it. 

A number of little bulbs, such as are now used 
for lighting Christmas trees, may be also used 
in the same way, the wires to be connected with 

193 



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the electric-light chandelier and covered with 
smilax. The little bulbs are very pretty when 
used among flowers on the table. Perhaps no 
other lights will be required. 

IF FERNS BE PREFERRED TO FLOWERS 

An island of ferns is an odd decoration for 
the table. Scatter ferns over a circular table 
mirror and surround the glass with a band of 
moss or smilax, moss being preferable. In this 
belt of green arrange twelve small candles of 
the same color. Four larger ones may decorate 
the corners of the table. 

A fern ball suspended from the chandelier 
directly over the table, close to the surface, with 
separate sprays of fern scattered over the cloth, 
will give a pretty effect and afford a change from 
the usual floral centerpiece. 

Maidenhair fern, if pressed with a hot flat- 
iron soon after being gathered, will retain its 
color and make a beautiful table decoration for 
winter. 

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THE TABLE 



An illuminated bouquet makes a remarkably 
novel centerpiece for a table. It consists of a 
bunch of-calla lilies, from which the centers have 
been removed, to be replaced by small lighted 
yellow candles. 

An ice tub for olives is a new idea for a 
luncheon-table. A small tub may be made by 
half filling an empty fruit-can with water and 
freezing by packing in ice and salt. When the 
ice has formed, the center of this mould may be 
cut out by sinking a hot baking-can in it. The 
clear little ice tub thus made may then be filled 
with olives and placed on a fancy plate sur- 
rounded by green leaves. 



195 



IX 

PLACE CARDS 



IX 



PLACE CARDS 

Little Surprises that Will Charm Your Guests — Post Cards 
Make Pretty Souvenirs — Ideas for Easter, Fourth of July, 
and Thanksgiving — How Maple and Clover Leaves May 
Be Used — Christmas Suggestions. 

ALTHOUGH there is nothing else so ele- 
gant and in such good taste in the way 
of a place card as a plain white one with the 
name of a guest written upon it, hostesses often 
wish for something new. Unfortunately the 
place cards on sale in the stores are generally 
quite expensive, and even these are not easily 
obtained in small cities. But there are many 
novel ways of making cards suitable for desig- 
nating the guests' places at the table. Only a 
little ingenuity is required, and but little expense. 
Such cards, if made by the hostess, will be all 
the more appreciated by the guests, and may be 
used also as souvenirs. 

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TWO WAYS TO GIVE PLEASANT SURPRISES 
A luncheon surprise which afforded much 
pleasure was devised by a clever hostess, who 
said, as her guests entered the dining-room, 
" Although there are no place cards, I am sure 
that each one will find her place without any 
difficulty." Upon investigation, each guest 
found that her seat was marked by her own 
baby picture, which had been privately borrowed 
for the day from her family. 

Pretty souvenirs for a girl's luncheon are little 
photographs of the guests. This idea, however, 
to be successfully carried out, must be planned 
some time prior to the occasion. Any girl who 
is an amateur photographer may take pictures 
of her girl friends, asking them to arrange their 
hair in various artistic and novel ways. Prints 
of these pictures may then be tinted in delicate 
colors and mounted on cards, the effect being 
much like miniatures. No names would be 
necessary on the cards, as each guest would 
find her own face beside her place at the table. 

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POST CARDS MAKE PRETTY SOUVENIRS 

From among the quantities of fancy post cards 
now to be found in the large stores very pretty 
guest cards may be made. Many foreign cards 
may be secured, suitable for a dinner where all 
the guests have been across the water, and the 
familiar scenes will be sure to start conversation 
along pleasant lines and bring up many recol- 
lections of foreign travel. 

The pretty Dutch cards are appropriate as 
place cards for a spring dinner, as the quaint 
faces look out from wreaths or bunches of tulips 
and hyacinths. For almost any season the sets 
of English castles, cathedrals, or the haunts of 
Dickens will make charming souvenirs. The 
name of the guest may be written on the address 
side of the card and some appropriate sentiment 
on the picture side. 

IDEAS FOR EASTER, FOURTH OF JULY, AND 
THANKSGIVING 

Little yellow chicks holding the place cards in 

their bills make an amusing decoration for an 

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THE TABLE 



Easter table. The chickens may be bought ready 
for the purpose or may be easily fashioned of 
yellow cotton by clever fingers. 

Appropriate place cards for a Fourth of July 
luncheon or dinner may be made by covering 
with red tissue-paper round glass bottles about 
the size of a big firecracker, and filling them with 
candies. By cutting the cork even with the top 
of the bottle and drawing a small piece of twine 
through for a fuse, a good imitation of a cracker 
is made. The names of the guests may be put 
vertically on the bottles. 

Unique place cards for Thanksgiving day or 
Hallowe'en may be made of orange-colored card- 
board cut the shape of a pumpkin, and about two 
and a half inches in diameter. The little stem 
should be tied with a bow of olive-green baby 
ribbon. Eyes, nose, and mouth should be cut 
in the card, so as to complete the imitation of 
Jack-o'-lanterns. 



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HOW MAPLE AND CLOVER LEAVES MAY 
BE USED 

Maple and clover leaves both serve well when 
place cards are needed for a fall table. Select 
the most brilliant colored maple leaves and 
mount them on pale pumpkin-colored paper, 
being careful to cut out the points of the leaves. 
Trace the name of each guest in gold paint upon 
the surface of the card, and on the other side 
add an appropriate quotation. 

To use the clover leaf prettily, try to find a 
four-leaved one with a long stem and mount it 
on a light-green card. Write the guest's name 
in gold paint. Two three-leaved clovers, crossed 
and mounted in the center of a card, also would 
be effective. 

SUGGESTIONS FOR CHRISTMAS 

Pretty souvenirs for the Christmas dinner are 
place cards of bright green, with the names of 
the guests and suitable quotations written upon 
them in Old English lettering, in red ink. 
r 5 207 



THETABLE 

Paper holly leaves make pretty place cards. 
Use heavy white paper, doubled and cut in the 
shape of a holly leaf. Tint the outside with 
green ink or water colors, and write the name 
on the inside. 

Silver bells for place cards may be easily made. 
After outlining a bell on two pieces of card- 
board, cut out carefully, and cover each piece 
with silver paper. Pierce a small hole in the 
handles and tie together with red ribbon. With 
red ink write the name of each guest on the 
inside and a Christmas greeting on the outside. 

Jack Frost place cards are made of rough 
white cardboard cut in a circle. Spread with 
a thin coating of mucilage and sprinkle with 
diamond-dust. Write the name in the center in 
silver. 



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THE TABLE 



SOME INEXPENSIVE PLACE CARDS 

Inexpensive place cards may be easily made 
by pasting on a blank card a small pen-and-ink 
sketch of a pretty girl's head, which may be 
taken from some magazine or illustrated paper. 
Decorate with water-colors, and inscribe on each 
card the name of the guest for whom it is 
intended. 

The pictures in magazine advertisements may 
be used in still another way for guest cards. 
Decorate plain white squares of Bristol-board 
by pasting pictures upon them to represent the 
particular fads of your guests. Good pictures 
are readily found, and cards cleverly arranged in 
this way always start lively conversation, some- 
thing which is not always easily accomplished 
at either a luncheon or a dinner. 

For a June luncheon, nothing in the way of 
a place card could be prettier than a single rose 
attached to a plain white card bearing the guest's 
name. 

209 



THE TABLE 

The green leaves of the wild rose, if pressed 
after the frost has tinted them, make a pretty 
table decoration. They also may be placed on 
cards for souvenirs. White candle-shades deco- 
rated with them are both odd and beautiful. 

a) 



THE END 



2IO 



